Who is on the Portland Trail Blazers coaching staff? Exploring how Chauncey Billups and his colleagues have fared this season
The Portland Trail Blazers are currently being coached by former NBA champion Chauncey Billups. He is officially the 15th head coach in the Blazers' history and has been helping the team since June 2021. Assisting Billups are five assistant coaches, namely Scott Brooks, Roy Rogers, Steve Hetzel, Jonah Herscu, and Rodney Billups.
While their superstar Damian Lillard has had an incredible season so far, the Portland Trail Blazers are still trailing behind in the Western Conference. As of this writing, Portland is sitting as the 11th seed with a 29-31 record. Honestly, the team still has a fighting chance to clinch the 6th seed given they're only one game behind the defending champions Golden State Warriors.
But how exactly has the coaching staff fared this season? Honestly, they’ve been lacking all year long. Portland has been stuck at the bottom of the West despite having Lillard carry the team to victory. They’ve been going neck-and-neck with the LA Lakers and OKC Thunder fighting for a chance to at least make the NBA Play-In Tournament this season.
However, as mentioned a while ago, not all hope is lost for the Blazers. The team still has a chance to make the NBA Playoffs, especially with how the trio of Damian Lillard, Jerami Grant, and Afnfernee Simons have been performing as of late. Just being one game behind the 6th seeded Golden State Warriors means they have a shot at securing a spot in the postseason. It all comes down to how the coaching staff decides to run the team’s plays moving forward.
Can the Portland Trail Blazers make it to the NBA Playoffs?
The Portland Trail Blazers are definitely not a weak team. Damian Lillard has been putting up MVP numbers this year, topping off his previous season's performances. Lillard is averaging 32.3 points, 7.2 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. In fact, “Dame Dolla” has solid backup from the likes of Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons who both have proven to be exceptional role players this season.
Jerami Grant, for the second time in his career, is once again averaging above 20 points. Grant is averaging 20.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. As for Anfernee Simons, the young guard has grown into the Blazers’ second option. He’s averaging 21.4 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game. Having that in mind, Portland should be a good enough team to compete in the postseason.
However, as everyone has been saying throughout the years, the Western Conference is stacked compared to the East. That’s one major factor to consider as to why the Blazers have been struggling to secure a playoff spot. Fortunately, not all hope is lost as they still have a fighting chance to make their postseason dreams come true.
If the team manages to maintain a solid winning streak, it’s possible they could at least make the NBA Play-In Tournament if they don't secure a playoff spot entirely.